Crossroads of Fate
by Linda Cicada
Summary: Featherine Augustus Aurora has abandoned the game of Higurashi for quite some time now, trapping her opponent, Lady Lambdadelta and her own piece, Rika Furude, in a logic error. Now an Incubator named Kyubey from another universe proposes to be Featherine's opponent in this game, in place of Lambda, and he has his own pieces and new elements to introduce to the game!
1. Chapter 1

**Crossroads of Fate**

**Chapter 1**

Enormous golden bookshelves that seemed to reach on endlessly, beyond the heavens, all stood together in a circle. It would take an eternity to count how many books there are on these shelves. But these weren't just books. Each of these books is actually an entire universe. In this City of Books sat a woman with violet hair, wearing a pink dress, with a green sash draped over her shoulder, and a strange, metallic, horse-shoe shaped device around her head, like a halo. She sat at a table, writing in a book. Behind her was several black cats, wearing red capes and holding staffs, standing loyally, like guards ready to defend a queen. On the table was a game board, which resembled a chessboard, with few pieces still remaining. On the other end of the table sat a girl, who looked really young, probably in her preteen years. She had blonde hair, and wore a pink dress and hat. Her eyes were completely blank, and showed no emotion. There weren't any signs of life in her, except the fact that she was breathing. She looked like a lifeless doll. There was complete silence, until a male voice suddenly spoke.

"Featherine Augustus Aurora." says the male voice.

The woman; Featherine, and her Cat Guards turn around and see a small creature standing on one of the books, and hopping onto the table. This creature looks similar to a small cat, with white fur, long ears with yellow rings around them, and big red eyes.

The Cat Guards mutter amongst themselves, baffled at how someone managed to get inside the City of Books without them knowing. They point their staffs at the creature, and they all blast him with magical explosions. The creatures body was completely obliterated by their attack, but another copy of the creature simply came back, and hopped on the table again. The Cat Guards can't believe their eyes. Their attack began a universe, created planets, then destroyed the universe, but their target still lives? Nothing has ever survived their attack before, how could this be possible? They raise their staffs again, ready to attack again, but Featherine raises her hand to halt them.

"My my, if it isn't Kyubey. I wonder what brings you to my City of Books?" she asks calmly.

"I heard about the game you started a century ago, then abandoned. This game sounds quite interesting to me, and clearly your previous opponent is in no condition to continue. I've come to challenge you. I would like to be your new opponent in this game." says Kyubey.

"Oh, challenge me? Featherine Augustus Aurora, Witch of Theatergoing, Drama, and Spectating?"

"Correct." replies Kyubey, his tail waving back and forth.

"I wonder why you would want to challenge me? Unfortunately, as you know, I have lost interest in this game, and abandoned it about a century ago. My miko has been continuing the game without me even starting it again, impressively. Poor little thing is unaware that she's in a Witch game. " says Featherine, smiling.

"Oh, but with me as your opponent, instead of that girl you played against before, I think you will regain your interest." replies Kyubey.

"And what do you have to offer to my game that Lady Lambdadelta did not?" asks Featherine.

"My own pieces, and new elements. For many years, you played this game with the same pieces, same rules and elements. But with my pieces added to the mix, don't you think it would be quite interesting?" says Kyubey, and 5 game pieces, which resemble teenage girls, appear on the board.

"Hmm, you make an interesting proposal. What would your win conditions be?"

"As you know, I'm an Incubator, looking for girls to turn into Witches. I know your piece, Rika Furude is eligible to become a Pulla Magi, then a Witch. I can feel her magic presence even from here. She is exactly what I need. If she becomes a Witch, then I win." explains Kyubey.

"Hmm, alright then. I accept your challenge, Kyubey. I guess it's time to begin, the 4589th game of Higurashi, shall we?" says Featherine, ready to take on Kyubey's challenge.

"Indeed we shall."

So they arrange the pieces on the board, and begin the game.

I awaken laying on the ground, covered in dirt. I've arrived in the next fragment once again to try and fail to change fate. How long have I been doing this? It's been atleast a century by now...why do I even bother continuing? Nothing is going to change fate.

I can hear my friends calling out to me, but they're also calling out another name I've never heard before.

"Rika! Homura!" They keep calling out, their voices coming closer. I can hear voices I've never heard before as well.

I sit up, and see my friends running over to me, and also four girls I've never seen before in my life. I look around, confused, wondering where Hanyuu is, and see another girl, sitting besides me. She looks like she's around the age of 14 or 15, has long, dark brown hair, and purple eyes. She looks just as confused as I feel. Who is she...?

"Hanyuu...! Where are you?" I whisper. Hanyuu appears in response.

"Au au..." She says. Seriously...I'm sitting her completely confused, and all she has to say is "Au au"? How useless can she get?!

"Hanyuu, what's going on? Who is she? And who are those other girls?! What's going on?!" I ask.

"Au au...I don't know Rika...this has never happened before." she says. Of course, useless Hanyuu is no help.

What the hell is going on...I've traveled through this same timeline thousands of times, and never before have I seen any of these girls? Who are they...? What's going on...?

**TO BE CONTINUED!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Crossroads of Fate**

**Chapter 2**

"Rika! Homura! You two okay?" they ask, helping me and this Homura girl to our feet.

"Mii~" I reply.

"Who are you people? Where the hell am I?!" asks Homura, backing up slowly, clearly confused. Other than me and her, everyone else seems to think this is all normal.

"Looks like she hit her head pretty hard." says one of the girls I don't know; the one with short blue hair.

"Maybe we should take them to the clinic?" says another one of the girls I don't know; the one with pink hair.

"Can you see how many fingers I'm holding up? Can you?" asks Rena, holding up two fingers. Maybe I should act like I hit my head and got amnesia. My head does hurt pretty bad right now anyway, so something like that must've happened.

"Mii~ you're holding up exactly 6 fingers, nipaa!" I say.

"...Yeah let's get them to the clinic. Homura looks like she has amnesia, and Rika managed to see two fingers as six. That can't be good." says Keiichi, picking me up like he thinks I broke my leg.

"Mii~ I can walk, Keiichi." I say.

"You're not taking me anywhere. Who are you people? Where the hell am I?!" Homura asks again.

"Calm down, you just fell out a tree! We were playing zombie tag, Rika climbed up a tree so no one could tag her, got stuck, we went to get a ladder, but you climbed up there to get her down while we were gone, and you both fell. And apparently you hit her head hard and are going cuckoo." explains the other girl I don't know; the one with red hair.

"Must have been one heck of a fall if she doesn't even remember us." says the blue haired girl, crossing her arms.

"Uhm, Homura, we're your friends. I'm Madoka, she's Sayaka, she's Kyoko..." says the pink haired girl.

"I know who you three are, but who are THEY?" asks Homura, pointing to me and my friends.

"What? How come she forgot us but not them?!" asks Mion.

"Because we're her favorites, duh!" says the red haired girl; Kyoko.

"Guess we should introduce ourselves and see if it jogs her memory. I'm Satoko Hojo!" says Satoko.

"I'm Keiichi Maebara!"

"Rena Ryuugu!"

"Mion Sonozaki!"

"Rika Furude. Nipaa!"

"We're all your friends, and this is Hinamizawa, the village we all live in...ring a bell?" asks Mion.

"...No." replies Homura, whom still looks clueless.

"Well, atleast Rika hasn't forgotten anyone, right Rika?" asks Keiichi.

"I don't know who those four are, nipaa!" I reply, pointing to Homura and the other three.

"Wha?! You serious?!" says Kyoko, baffled.

"Mii~" I reply.

"Let's just get them to the clinic...I'm sure they'll remember after some rest." says Keiichi. Everyone nods in agreement, and we walk to the clinic, which we happened to be only about 10 minutes away from.

_Two hours later..._

"You don't have any serious injuries, just several bruises and some cuts. I don't see how you could have gotten amnesia..." says Dr. Irie, putting a bandage on Homura's arm. "Can you tell me exactly what you don't remember?" he says.

"I don't remember anything about this place, or anyone here." says Homura.

"Complete memory loss? This doesn't make any sense..." replies Irie, scratching his chin. "This is Hinamizawa, the town you live in. The kids who brought you to my clinic are your friends from school." he says.

Homura still looks puzzled. None of this makes any sense. She is certainly not from here, and she knows it. But why do the other girls, whom she said she knows, not think anything is unusual?

"I see...you should both go home and get some rest. Maybe it'll all come back to you after a good amount of sleep." says Irie.

"Home...?" says Homura.

"Oh, haha, of course, you don't remember how to get home if you don't remember this town. I'll drive you girls home." he says.

So he walks us out to his car, and starts driving us home. He stops at my house to let me out.

"Goodbye Irie and Homura, nipaa~!" I say as I get out of the car.

"Eh? Why are you saying goodbye to her?" asks Irie.

"Mii~? Aren't you taking her home?" I ask.

Irie chuckles. "She is home! Silly Rika, you both live here." he says.

"Why do I live in the same house as her?" asks Homura, getting out of the car.

"You two are sisters, why wouldn't you live together?" asks Irie.

"What...?" me and Homura both say.

"Oh...you see, you're both orphans. Homura, your parents were killed four years ago, and Rika, yours were..."

"Mii~I know when my parents died. Were her parents killed for Oyashiro-sama's curse?" I ask.

"Nobody knows. It was one of the many bizarre deaths that seem to be completely unrelated to Oyashiro-sama's curse." replies Irie.

"Bizarre deaths...unrelated to Oyashiro-sama's curse?"

"Yes. There have been mysterious deaths happening for a few years, along with Oyashiro-sama's curse, and nobody knows anything about it, other than they died. It's really weird..." explains Irie.

"Uhm...how does that make us sisters?" Homura asks.

"Ah, yes, I was getting to that. Rika, four years ago, a man named Akasaka Mamoru moved to this town. You and him seemed to be really close friends."

Wait, what? Akasaka moved here...? That has never happened before. No matter how much I tried to warn him about his wife's fate, he never went back to Tokyo, and when he does, his wife is always already dead, and I never see him again.

"He said he made a promise to you, Rika. And, long story short, he adopted you. He heard about what happened to Homura's parents, and knew you two were best friends, so he adopted her too. That makes you two foster sisters." explains Irie.

Akasaka...adopted me? This just keeps getting stranger and stranger...wait he called her my best friend. My best friend is Satoko! What is he talking about?

"Anyway, it's getting late, so you two should go inside now. Cya." he says, and drives off.

"Au au..." says Hanyuu, suddenly appearing.

"Hanyuu...you don't know ANYTHING about what's going on?" I ask.

"No. This is really weird, Rika...auau..." she says. Of course, she has nothing useful to say.

"Damn...do you atleast know how much time I have until my death?"

"Two weeks...auau..."

"Damn! My time just keeps getting shorter and shorter!" I say, balling my fist in frustration.

"Who are you talking too?" asks Homura, staring at me with a raised eyebrow. I must look silly to her, since no one but me can see Hanyuu.

"Nobody, nipaa~! You and me are clearly the only ones here, nee-chan." I reply. She stares me in the eye.

"We both know we're not sisters, and we both know I don't belong here. Now, I think you should get talking." she says, grabbing my shoulder threateningly.

"Mii~, nee-chan wouldn't hurt her little sister." I say.

"I'm not your..."

"Nippa~!"

"Tch...forget this. I have to prevent Madoka from signing that contract..." she says, and starts walking away, but I grab her arm. Contract? This is interesting.

"Akasaka will not be pleased if his two beloved daughters aren't home before dark." I say.

"..." she says nothing, then sighs, and we walk inside the house together.

"Oh, you surely have made this game far more interesting than before, Kyubey." says Featherine, sipping tea as she moves her piece.

"Just as I said I would." replies Kyubey.

"You've given my miko a father and a sister, and even added an additional series of murders. I wonder what other changes you've made?"

"Only one way to find out." says Kyubey, moving his pieces with his tail.

**TO BE CONTINUED!**


End file.
